In 2017 Nada Surf celebrated the 15th anniversary of their breakthrough album ‘Let Go’. Now, three years later they’re set to release their ninth studio album, ‘Never Not Together’ on City Slang. The album brings together a wide-ranging variety of songs that clearly show the bands ability to bring up grand, often fragile and tangled emotions through numbers that one moment might feature huge, sweeping guitars and the next whisper quiet vocals. There’s everything from a choir (‘Looking For You’) to exploding drums and slicing guitar solos. The nine songs of ‘Never Not Together’ are linked by the idea of searching for connections, looking for answers both internally and by reaching out. That love might be hiding but it’s always there, somewhere. Youth, and the current state of youth culture, the ups and downs of adolescence, the scary transition into the beginnings of adulthood form the background to ‘Just Wait’ and it’s mellow tempo with soft beats and chiming guitars.
‘Never Not Together’ doesn’t break any boundaries. It does show clearly why Nada Surf can bring crowds together either playing on a festival stage or in small, intimate venues. If you like guitar-based rock music that’s easy to listen to with intelligent, meaningful lyrics then you’re going to like this.
Nada Surf play a handful of UK/Irish dates as follows:
25.02.20: Cambridge – Junction 22.
12.03.20: London – Electric Ballroom.
13.03.20: Manchester – Academy 3.
14.03.20: Dublin – Button factory.
15.03.20: Glasgow – St Lukes.
These dates slot into an extensive European tour – all dates can be found on the band’s website at www.nadasurf.com.
‘Never Not Together’ is released on February 7th via City Slang.
Review by: Steve White
Main Photo: Annie Dressner
